Gifts

My mom is turning 89 this week.  I would be remiss if I didn’t include her in my blog of inspirations because she was my first, and continues to be my strongest, source of inspiration.  I love her dearly, and would like to thank her for being my muse throughout my artistic life.

I have an incredibly gifted life.  True, I may not have a lot of money, fame or luck, but I have many gifts in my life for which I am eternally grateful.

 I grew up in a great family.  Yes, we have had our issues, as all families do, but I have wonderful memories, strong values and faith in God.  These gifts were all given to me by my mom and dad.  The things I remember most about our family of 6 ( mom, dad, 3 kids, and a grandma), are things like helping my grandmother prepare and serve snacks for my parents’ card parties when it was their turn to host the monthly neighborhood get together.  I remember my mom teaching me how to sew on the sewing machine, my grandmother teaching me how to crochet and my dad playing his music on the record player in our finished basement.

Mom has always been the rock in our family.  The quieter, calmer of the two parents, Mom was the one who held our secrets, gave us advice and had the patience to teach us things like driving a car.  When I had to commute to our state college because of the housing shortage first semester freshman year, Mom worked and I didn’t have a car, so she drove me a half hour each way, every day to school.  That’s dedication.  I remember lots of shopping trips on Saturdays with Mom and Gram which always ended with lunch at the diner.  I attribute my love of sewing, and crafts to my mom who loved to do both. Mom was always making something, sewing up stuffed animals, making Christmas tree decorations or making clothes for herself, my sister, or me.   My gram was a great cook and baker and Mom inherited those talents as well.

She is a true supporter of the arts (or at least my art).  She and Dad encouraged me throughout my creative life.  Mom wore every creation I crocheted or knitted, good, or bad.   She hung every picture I ever drew, and displayed every Christmas door decoration and ornament I ever made.  Looking back on all of that, she deserves a medal for bearing with me as I struggled to become the experienced artist and crafter I am today.  Thanks, Mom.

Mom is a modern woman.  She is a handy-“woman”.  There is seemingly no tool she hasn’t touched, no part of her house she hasn’t painted, and no toilet she hasn’t fixed.  She is always searching (and I mean searching because her house is spotless) for things to repair or clean in her house.  She has a computer ( did I mention she is turning 89?).  Mom was a secretary, so she is no stranger to the keyboard.  She picked up the tricks of surfing the net, reads her email every day, views photos sent to her by her kids and grandkids, checks the news, visits my online shop and reads my blog (thanks, Mom),checks the news and the weather, and changes her backgrounds to match the seasons.  She shops online, prints out recipes and plays games.  Did I mention she was turning 89?  Mom is a marvel and she is the most treasured, beloved and most unique of all of my gifts.  I thank God each day for all my gifts, especially for her.  Happy 89^th Birthday, Mom!

Yo-Yo Inspiration

I have been thinking a lot about yo-yos since my last post. It has become my latest crafting obsession! If you are a creative person you know what I mean about obsessing about creating something. You see something, you get inspired, and you have to try it out in a variety of ways, colors and patterns. In fact, if you are anything like me, you think about it when you wake up in the middle of the night, or when you're brushing your teeth, or driving to work. It seems that you literally can't do another thing unless you try out your new idea!

 Last week I wore a new white knit cardigan sweater with decorative accents around the collar. The minute I saw it in the store, I loved it because I tend to gravitate toward sweaters or shirts that have interesting details, like crocheted fringe around the collar or cuffs, pretty buttons or a combination of contrasting fabrics.  I didn't really investigate the detail around the collar of this this sweater that closely. I knew I just liked the look of it, so I bought it.  I knew that what I thought were flowers, were made of chiffon type fabric with white beads in the center.  But when I put it on the first day I wore it, I took a closer look at the details, and, much to my delight, the flowers were actually yo-yos! In fact, my art colleague even asked me if I made the handmade detail around the collar.  Since that day, my wheels have been turning!

So today, I finally got a chance to try out my yo-yos in a sheer fabric.  My idea is to use these sheer yo-yos in some of the items I make for my shop on artfire .  I have often seen yo-yos on pillows, so I know that will probably look pretty on my ring bearer pillows, maybe with pearl beads, or fancy buttons in the centers, or maybe I'll just leave them au natural!
I also make bridal headbands, so they may be a nice alternative to fabric flowers, maybe with a little lace or tulle as accents.

I have some other ideas about what I can do with these marvelous little puffs, but since it's time to do other things right now, I will just have to spend a few more nights dreaming and planning as I try to drift back to sleep!